The No. 3

4) Always tell the truth (in whatever way you feel most artistic at the time). It is absolutely manditory (x3x3x3) that a true Irish druid always tell the truth, but it is also manditory (x3x3x3) that he or she be very very very creative with words, and (three things) that they think of these two (not a druidy number - eck!) things as the same thing. -- Droop the Druid's Guide on How to Be a Druid

It's almost always joked about when it comes to Druids - the number 3 and it's multiples. All jokes aside, the number held a lot of significance for the Ancient Celts as we can tell from a number (ha, pun!) of their myths, traditions, artifacts, etc. I've researched this tripling custom to historically justify the use of it for myself.

Some symbols common to the Celts are composed of three parts. The Druid Sigil, for example, is a symbol that been found in the foundation in sites of Romano-British origin. It is composed of a circle intersected by two parallel lines. Today, Henge of Keltria (a modern order of Druids) uses this symbol. There is the Triskele, a design which was most likely developped by the Irish-Christian Monks. In some designs, a sort of pie-circle of three parts, but the lines inside the circle swirl together. In others, a triangular form with three main parts. (See illus. below.) Jennifer Smith, runecaster and maker, founder of Tara Hill Designs, uses the Triskele as a base for her castings, representing the physical, mental or spiritual aspect of the prediction.

Illus.

Curiously, runes are Norse in origin, a culture that also valued the number three, along with many other Indo-European cultures. I reason that the number must have had an immense influence if it's influence survived until today in the forms of the Holy Trinity, for example, or as common clichés in the English language.

Among different mythologies we also come upon triplets, and here are but a few. As aforementioned, most Christians believe in the Holy Trinity. Let,s also not forget the Three Wise Men. The Hindu also have an aspect of three in their patheon: dieties Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva have three heads. The Greeks have the Three Furies. The Norse have The Three Norns, the three sisters (often considered Goddesses) of fate. Unsurprisingly, thse triplings also exist in confusing Celtic pantheon. The Morrigù, for example, somes seems to be a combinations of the Godesses Babd, Morrigan, and Nemain. There sia lso the representation of the female in three different life stages: maiden, mother, crone.

Triads

The Celtic Triads were a series of traditional laws, traditions, and customs recorded in a sort of poetic-triplet form. In the days of the Ancient Celts the people did not use writing and instead taught orally. I find it therefore makes sense that everything would be remembered as a triad: short, consise and pleasing to the ear. Afterall, doesn't a listing like that sound better when there are three?

Research seems to point out that it was only with the coming of Christianity that women began to lose their legal status. Celtic society is said to have been considerably egalitarian, it's women enjoying more rights then any other culture at that time. If you read through many triads, you'll find as I did that many of them are quite sexist and also contain terms related to the Christian Church. I've concluded that this is due simply to the fact that these laws were probably only written and/or translated after Christianity, and therefore would have been changed in order to make more sense for their culture.

Below is a selection of Irish Triads, gathered from various sources, translated into English that I find clever and still applicable to my own life.